Piano-player.



I. L. GRINNELL.

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.13, 1911.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 I819 L. GR/NNELL.

I. L. GRINNELL.-

PIANO PLAYER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR.13, 1911.

1,014,059, Patented Jan.9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-=SHEET 2.

- COL IA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. IL c.

IRA L. GRINNELL, 01'! DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

PIANO-PLAYER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9,1912.

Application filed March 13, 1911. Serial No. 618,986.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IRA L. GRINNELL, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Piano-Players, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings.

In the operation of piano players wherein a perforated roll is used thatpasses from a spool over a tracker board, it is desirable to hold theroll as closely as possible in register with the apertures of thetracker board without imposing undue strain or wear upon the margin ofthe roll by which it is usually held in place. Slight variations in thelength of the roller or spool on which the roll is wound together withany inequalities of the roll itself often cause fluctuations which intime wear away the margins of the roll where it contacts with theflanges of the main driving roll which are usually the only means thatdirect the strip over the tracker board, and even if the flanges orguides on the spool are in alinement with the flanges of the maindriving roll they may not be in proper adjustment with the trackerboard, or may not be sufficient to hold the roll in register as they arenecessarily at some distance from the board.

This invention relates to piano players and more particularly to meansfor adjusting and holding the roll in proper relation to the trackerboard.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth, and moreparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the rollmechanism, tracker board and adjusting means of a piano player thatembodies features of the invention; Fig. 2 is a view in section on orabout line 22 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a view in end elevation thereof.

As herein shown a casing 1 adapted to be secured in a piano case hasbearings in which a roll shaft 2 is journaled in parallel relation to atracker board 3, a thumb screw 4: and a stop collar 5 or other suitablemeans being provided for slight longitudinal adjustment. Guide flanges 6are disposed in spaced relation on the roll, and one or both of thecasing on the other side of the tracker board from the shaft 2 and inparallel rela tion thereto. This bearing is yieldingly forced toward theinterior of the casing as by a spring 8 in a tubular socket or sleeve 9in which the bearing plays; a stop collar 10 encircling the stem 11 ofthe bearing which passes through an end opening of the sleeve limits itsinward movement.

A drive shaft 12 in the other end of the casing in axial alinement withthe bearing 9 is reciprocable and rotatable in bearings in the casingend and in a bearing plate 13 secured in spaced relation to the end ofthe casing as by brackets or rods 14:. The inner ends of the bearing 9and of the shaft 12 are adapted to receive a music roll spool insertedbetween them and hold the latter in operative relation to the trackerboard 3 and shaft 2.

A main drive shaft 15 is coupled as through a gear train indicated at 16with a shaft 2 and likewise may be thrown in gear through a clutchindicated at 17 and a chain and sprockets indicated at 18 with the shaft12 which is used for a rewind or reverse drive. The driving connectionsbetween the shafts do not form a material part of the invention and maybe of any preferred type which permits slight longitudinal movement ofthe shaft 12in relation to the main shaft 15 without disturbing thedriving connections.

The outer end of the shaft 12 bears against a spring or otherwisemovably attached. finger 19 that normallystands oblique to the bearingplate 13 to which one end is secured as by a screw 20. A rock shaft 21is secured in a bearing between the back of the casing 1 and a block 28in parallel relation to the shaft 12. The portion of the rock shaftwithin the casing 1 is bent transversely to bear against a notchedquadrant plate 22 on the inner face of the casing end, the outerextremity of the transverse portion having a finger hold 23 by which itmay be readily manipulated. A rock arm 24: extends trans versely fromthe other end of the rock shaft 21 to bear against the outer face of thearm of the spring finger 19, which if preferred, may have a facing plate25 on which the arm 2& rides. The parts are so adjusted finger 19inwardly and thereby shifts the shaft 12 longitudinally.

The tracker board 3 is provided with a gage plate 26 adjust-ably securedagainst its face as by a screw 27 passing through a longitudinal slot inthe gage. It is adjusted in alinement with the inner face of theadjacent guide flanges 6 of the main roll shaft 2.

By manipulation of the finger pull 23, the shaft 12 may be shifted so asto bring the inner face of the flange 29 of a roll spool insertedbetween the shaft 12 and the spring-pressed bearing 9 into alinementwith the gage 26 and the flange 6 after the roll strip has been drawnover the tracker board and secured to the roll of the shaft 2 in theusual manner. By this method of adjustment the variations of thicknesswhich occur in the end flanges of music roll spools and in the distancebetween the inner guide faces of the spool flanges and the bearingsockets in the spool in which the drive shaft is inserted, may becompensated for so that the music roll travels readily along the gage ofthe tracker board and is held in register with the apertures of theboard by the margin contacting with this gage without undue wear whichsoon frays the margin and prevents its proper adjustment in relation tothe apertures of the tracker board. Furthermore, the adjustability ofthe tracker board gage itself enables any variations in widths in rollsof different makes to be compensated for. Thus complete adjustment,first between the roll itself and tracker board, and then between thegage of the tracker board and the spool flanges, is possible with thearrangement of parts shown.

Obviously, changes in the details of construction may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention and I do not wish to limitmyself to any particular form or arrangement of parts.

What I claim is 1. In piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker boardtherein, a roll spool bearing longitudinally movable and rotatable inone end of the casing parallel to the board, a spring yieldinglyprojecting the bearing inwardly, a spool bearing and driving shaftrotatable and reciprocable in the other end of the casing in alinementwith the spool bearing, a rock shaft journaled in the casing parallel tothe roll driving shaft, a spring finger secured at one end to the casingwith its free end in contact with the spool bearing shaft, a rock armfrom the rock shaft adapted to move the free end of the spring fingerwhen the rock shaft is rotated, a finger pull extension on the rockshaft, and a quadrant on the casing yieldingly engaged by the fingerpull extension.

2. In piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board in the casing, agage longitudinally adjustable on the face of the tracker board, abearing rotatable and longitudinally reciprocable in one end of thecasing, a spring yieldingly projecting the bearing inwardly, a bearingplate secured in spaced relation to the outer side of the other end ofthe casing, a spool driving shaft reciprocable and rotatable in thebearing plate and the adjacent end of the casing in axial alinement withthe spool bearing, a spring finger secured at one end on the bearingplate with its other end yieldingly contacting with the outer end of thespool bearing and driving shaft, a quadrant on the inner side of thecasing end adjacent the bearing plate, a rock shaft journaled in thebearing plate and adjacent end of the casing with one inbent end forminga finger pull yieldingly engaging the quadrant, a rock arm on the otherend of said shaft riding in contact with the spring finger adapted tomove the latter inwardly when the rock shaft is swung, and means mountedon the casing end and bearing plate adapted to rotate the spool bearingand drive shaft regardless of the longitudinal position of the latter.

3. In piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board in the casing, agage longitudinally adjustable on the face of the tracker board, abearing rotatable and longitudinally reciprocable in one end of thecasing, a spring yieldingly projecting the hearing inwardly, a bearingplate secured in spaced relation to the outer side of the other end ofthe casing, a spool bearing and driving shaft reciprocable and rotatablein the bearing plate and the adjacent end of the casing in axialalinement with the spool bearing, a spring finger secured at one end ofthe bearing plate with its other end yieldingly contacting with theouter end of the spool bearing and driving shaft, a quadrant on theinner side of the casing end adjacent the bearing plate, a rock shaft journaled in the bearing plate and adjacent end of the casing with oneinbent end forming a finger pull yieldingly engaging the quadrant, arock arm on the other end of said shaft riding in contact with thespring finger adapted to move the latter inwardly when the rock shaft isswung, a main driving shaft journaled in the casing parallel to .thetracker board and spool bearings, and

mechanism mounted on the casing end and bearing plate for driving thesaid shaft and the spool bearing shaft.

4. In a piano player mechanism, a casing, a tracker board therein, adriving shaft journaled in the casing parallel to the tracker board andprovided with roll guide M flanges, a gage longitudinally adjustable onthe tracker board in substantial alinement With one of said guideflanges, a pair of alined spool bearing and driving members rotatableand longitudinally reeiprocable in the casing, on the side of thetracker board opposite the main shaft and in parallel relation to thelatter, a spring yieldingly projecting the bearing remote from the boardgage toward the interior of the casing, and 10 means for positivelymoving the other spool bearing member inwardly.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tWo Witnesses.

IRA L. GRINNELL. Witnesses LEWIs E. FLANDERS, ANNA C. RAVILER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G.

